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Primary sourceBook1795–96

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · 1795–96

Goethe's novel about a young man's journey of self-discovery through the theatre, which created the German Bildungsroman genre.

Goethe wrote this novel, which founded the German Bildungsroman and drew on his own youthful theatrical passions.

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Open book showing the title page of Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, Ein Roman, Herausgegeben von Goethe, Erster Band, Berlin, Bey Johann Friedrich Unger, 1795. Three leather-bound volumes with gilt decorations and numbered labels 2, 3, and 4 stand to the right.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, Berlin, 1795.

About this source

What it is

A novel in eight books by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1795–96. It follows Wilhelm Meister as he abandons a business career for a passion for theatre, eventually joining a mysterious society. It built on an earlier unpublished fragment, 'Wilhelm Meister's Theatrical Mission'.

Why it matters

This book is considered the first great German Bildungsroman, a story of a young person's moral and psychological growth. It reflects Goethe's own early fascination with theatre and shaped how later writers told coming-of-age stories.

Look closer

  • Why might Goethe have chosen the theatre world to explore questions of growing up?
  • What does the detailed description of puppet shows and plays tell us about childhood imagination in this period?
  • How might a novel about self-realization differ depending on the author's own life experience?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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